A Blank Mask
by GeekMom13
Summary: Her mask was blank when she joined the death eaters- a sign she was utterly alone. No family or friends loyal enough to her to offer their protection.


**I own nothing you recognize. Fic inspired by a manip by Grey Mournings.  
This is a 2 or 3 shot. **

* * *

She was sitting on the dais next to Bellatrix, the mysterious new death eater- well, not so new anymore.

She had been around for almost a year now. At first, she had a plain mask- nothing remotely close to any that the typical new recruits had. They all knew what that meant, a new family. She didn't even hold the esteem of one of the already pledged families to protect her.

When Draco first started, his mask looked like a more basic mix of his Aunt Bellatrix's mask and his father's mask. There were the strong lines that came from the base of the Malfoy family crest and the swirls that Bellatrix had from the Black family crest.

If you knew your old family crests, new recruits were easy to sort out in that manner.

It wasn't often a person joined with no family to back them- sure a few trickled in from the blood traitor families, and occasionally a half-blood who would join up because their non-magical relatives were wretched. In those cases, they were quick to shed their mask as soon as possible. It didn't do to keep a target on your back outside of the uniform.

But not her. No. She killed, saved, tortured, and protected- earning each of her patterns in life debts and pure respect for her skill, all without revealing who she was. She never wanted to take it off, she rarely even talked.

The magic of the mask was good like that- as the owner earned the allegiance of a fellow death eater, their family symbol would be added to the mask. It didn't need anyone to actually acknowledge the debts or the respect- it just _knew_.

Her first addition had been when she was half dead herself. It was the third raid she was sent on- the first two were smooth sailing. But the third- the order showed up.

She had been hit with a slicing curse across her stomach. There was so much blood no one could explain how she was still upright. And then she saw a curse flying towards the back of another young recruit. She threw up a shield and sent the Weasley boy who sent it to the ground in two swift movements.

Her mask now had flames licking the base of her chin- Theo had turned around at her motions and noticed them immediately. She fell to her knees and he took her back to Nott Manor and called their healer. She wouldn't remove the mask and kicked him out of the room immediately.

After a few more additions to the mask, her symbol was drawn from her magic- a matching set of ivy vines under her eyes, meeting with a single leaf placed right between her eyebrows. Theo's own mask now had ivy tracing up the sides, dancing in the flames.

He never did discover who she was.

As the year progressed, her mask had become more and more detailed, the ivy barely holding its own in stand out against the other elements. More and more Death Eaters could be found marked with her ivy, running up the sides- a sign of their debt to her. Some had branched along the top, the respect they held for the unknown witch. A fair few had the ivy framing their mask.

But still, she was unknown.

Today though, it seemed she would be revealed.

She had earned her mark.

Theo shifted in place next to Draco, they had placed bets on who she was. Draco was convinced she was some distant Malfoy cousin- the child of the child of some long forgotten Malfoy who had been blown off the family tree. Back in the days when it was more common to have more than one kid and it was more acceptable to disown heirs for stupid mistakes- _the golden days_ as his father would say every time Draco pissed him off.

Draco leaned into Theo, "Look at that, I'm obviously winning- why else would Father and Aunt Bella be up there?"

Theo almost conceded the point- almost. "Well, Bella would be up there anyways- you know she's always near the Dark Lord."

Draco tilted his head, watching the formalities as people streamed in, greeting the guest of honour.

Then Theo started to notice that when certain death eaters neared, Lucius would react to her stiff posture, sweeping people away. Which really, _really_ wasn't normal. He was more the type to appreciate making someone squirm, even if he was tasked with protecting them.

When the Dark Lord started the proceedings, Lucius stepped behind her- gently rubbing along her collarbone and over the obscene diamond necklace she was wearing that was obviously from an old vault. Things like that just weren't made anymore.

He glanced over to Draco, the tense posture making it obvious he caught it too, "So, still think you're winning this one?"

"Of course, he's protective- it _has_ to be one of our relatives."

"I'm still saying it's his Mistress."

"Theo- shut up. She's obviously-"

"Oh no... I have it..."

"Theo."

"He's her _Daddy_."

"I swear to Merlin-"

"Oh, that is _definitely_ it. Your Father is her _Daddy._ "

Draco turned towards Theo, ready to punch him.

"Oh yes... your father is most _definitely_ her Daddy. I wonder how often she needs to be spanked?" Theo asked with fake sincerity.

It really was _far_ too easy to rile him up.


End file.
